I have a 59 Ranger hardtop with a 292. I want to use an AOD trans. I know as they passed 82 or so they started to improve some of the earlier issue but also, they were in many configurations including light weight cars with 6 cyls. I need one for moving along a 3800 lb. custom cruiser, so I need a stout one and linkage for the carb as well. What vehicles do I need to search for to find what I need? F150s, Lincolns? Thanks.
For my '54 Ranch Wagon I'm using a 302/AOD combo out of a '83 E 150 van. The trans is still mechanical not electric like the newer OD's. I could make the TV rod from the van work in the Wagon so I'm using a Lokar cable. The trans is at the rebuilder now. He plans on upgrading the internals so I;m not sure if it really mattered the trans was from a van.
Current discussion on the Barn. Near the end JeffB2 chimes in with a recommendation on AOD’s. I think he does those years social group either here or the Barn. The social group may have more info. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=318101
Lincoln Town Car, around 1990. 9 years ago I found one in a partially burnt car with 100,000 miles in the local pull-a-part. Cost me $100. Welded the hole in the pan, fresh fluid and the Lokar cable with proper adjustment. From day 1 it has been soft going into OD, but has moved the Willys in my avatar for over 80,000 miles. Note that I have a stock 289 Ford and I drive it like I'm trying to make it last. YMMV! (Hope I didn't jinx myself.)
Not near an expert, but did have one once. Anyways, mine was from a ‘91 TBird. I was on FTE and asked “what’s the best AOD to look for”. To a person every reply was the lowest mileage, they were all the same year for year. ‘91 or ‘92 was the last year for non electronic control as I recall. What I mean (as I understood it) was an AOD from a 87 xxx was the same as an 87 from a yyy. Just the info I received 15/16 years ago.
Mine came from a Tbird, when my trans guy built it it upgraded it to what he said was the best parts for it. I using the stock cable from a fi mustang with a geometry correct carb bracket I made from looking at pics and measurements online. After I got in I trailered it to the trans shop, he checked it and my TV cable was spot on.
AOD up to 1994 is what you want, make sure it was a v8 application and you will be fine. Heat is the killer of these trans, so spring for a separate cooler to keep it in check. Mustangs, Lincolns, Trucks, Vans, Merc's, Crown Vics, etc are all good sources, Personally I have had better luck out of the Merc's, Lincolns than anything due to them not being abused as bad.
I have used two AOD's, one an 84, one a 92 I rhink. Both rebuilt stock and both were excellent. Still using one in my 55. I certainly would use again.
@Sledsel - What rear gear are you currently running in the Edsel? Might need to also change that when going to the AOD
Your not going to hurt a stock AOD with a 292 Y, unless it is one hell of a build and you are putting out 450+ ft-lbs of torque. Adapting it to the 292 bellhousing is a whole other can of worms, but I am assuming you have that figured out already. Remember, Ford installed many an AOD behind 302's and 351W's in late 80's / early 90's land barge Crown Vics and Econoline Vans that weighed quite a bit more than your Edsel. I run an AOD behind the 352 FE in my '62 Merc Monterey Wagon (325 Hp, 375 ft-lbs Torque) and a good friend runs an AOD behind the 428 FE (450 Hp, nearly 550 torque) in his '64 Marauder. Many thousands of miles on both cars with no problems what so ever. In order to make an AOD live behind something like an FE that can generate a big butt load of torque, you have to eliminate the Torque convertor lock up feature. The weak link is the 2 piece 3/4 gear input shafts. These 2 shafts are replaced with a single, solid input shaft that is very similar to a C6 3rd gear input shaft (see image below). The downside is it requires a custom torque convertor (plenty of companies build them, you just wont find one at Napa) and you lose a bit of efficiency as the OD lock-up feature is now gone. The upside, is the trans is virtually bullet proof for just about any reasonable street application. You have to pay extra attention to the torque convertor's stall speed with this AOD modification. Too loose of a convertor will slip during highway cruising and cook your oil. I ran into this problem with a '76 F-250 Camper Special when I installed an AOD behind the freshly built 390 (400 Hp, 450 ft-lbs). Because of the FE's smaller bell housing (a stock convertor will not fit), the large tires on the pickup, and it's outhouse like aero dynamics, I couldn't ever get a torque convertor built that had a low enough stall speed to prevent overheating the oil at cruising speeds. Hook a trailer to the back, and you could boil a turkey with the tranny fluid in no time.
B&M (?) makes a constant pressure valve body kit that takes the gnat's ass adjustment out of the picture, make dialing in the TV cable easier. C. V. Police Interceptor I used to have had 351W, AOD, & 3.08 posi, was fast enough for the cops....
I'd heard that about the two-piece input shafts. I'm about to rebuild my '87 AOD but want the lockup in OD for better highway mileage, will use a hardened two-piece, 3/4-inch input shaft. They're $$$ PRICEY!! I also know to swap out the cast iron shell for a stamped steel one and go with a wider 2" band, put in an A+ servo, upgrade a few other things inside, add the aftermarket valve bodies that help with the TV calibration and install a second transmission cooler to dissipate as much heat as possible. This behind a healthy but not radical 351W. I want it to be able to tow something substantial at highway speeds without either cooking the trans or screaming the engine rpms. Theoretically it should be what I expect. MMMV.
Finally got an AOD at the trans man getting rebuilt. Early 80s T Bird V8 (I have to check my settings I used to get emails about post replys) My car has a 292 and 3.10:1 if the back end still matches the data plate.
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